When Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen journeys past the moon on Artemis 2, part of his responsibilities will include studying the far side of the moon, which cannot be seen from our planet. Simultaneously, researchers on Earth will be closely monitoring this mission since they intend to eventually deploy telescopes and robotic technology to explore deep space.

Our moon is essentially double-faced. Due to being gravitationally tethered to Earth, it consistently presents one side towards our planet while the opposite side faces the vastness of outer space. Although the far side is often referred to as the dark side, this is inaccurate as it receives as much sunlight as the Earth-facing hemisphere.

The far side features a considerably more rugged, crater-filled terrain compared to the near side, which showcases expansive flat regions known as "Maria," a term derived from Latin meaning seas. It is also an exceptionally tranquil environment, shielded from the artificial radio interference emanating from Earth, which is why astronomers find it a prime candidate for their radio telescope installations.

The only means to observe the far side of the moon is via spacecraft, thus Hansen will have a unique chance to witness sights that few humans have experienced since the Apollo missions. Indeed, he will observe more than those early explorers, as the Artemis trajectory will take him 7,500 kilometers beyond the moon, allowing the entire globe to become visible.

Apollo astronauts orbited in proximity to the surface, which limited their view to the equatorial areas.

Moreover, Hansen will see the entire Earth along with the moon simultaneously, a perspective unprecedented for humankind.

During their lunar flyby, the Artemis team will gaze out the windows to conduct detailed examinations of the lunar landscape since the human eye can discern subtle variations such as color differences or shades of grey that cameras might overlook. These variations indicate different surface conditions, such as dust levels or roughness, potentially impacting landing operations.

One of the proposed projects for the moon's far side is the Japanese TSUKUYOMI, or the Lunar Meter Wave Telescope, which aims to deploy the first of a series of radio dishes on the far side to observe the universe's earliest era, often referred to as the dark ages.

Approximately 400,000 years post-big bang, during a phase before stars and galaxies emerged, the universe was primarily composed of neutral hydrogen gas that emitted no light, hence the designation dark ages. Nonetheless, this gas generated very weak radio waves that sensitive instruments on the moon could potentially detect.

Signals from this dark age could also illuminate the enigma of dark matter, which currently predominates in the universe, and its influence on the early universe's development, possibly guiding the formation of stars, galaxies, and planets.

The initial TSUKUYOMI prototype is planned to land near the lunar south pole between 2027 and 2028, with additional antennas targeting the far side in the 2030s. This will be complemented by another robotic radio observatory called LuSEE Night from the University of Boulder, Colorado, expected to launch this year, and a NASA robot known as the Farside Seismic Suite, slated to deploy in 2027.

NASA and ESA are also considering additional lunar observatories that are in preliminary development phases.

While human missions to the moon will prioritize establishing a colony and searching for water ice at the south pole, their landing zones will consistently have Earth visible on the horizon for communication.

On the far side, entirely concealed from view, a multitude of robots will be silently surveying the edge of the universe and looking back to the dawn of time to uncover the origins of existence.